Tag Archives: third gender

There are long ranging effects of secrecy and lies especially ones that breaks the laws. Gandhiji was proud to call himself as the “God’s Eunuch for the nation” and it is fitting that 67 years after independence that Gandhiji fought for, the Indian Supreme Court has given rights to Eunuchs. It is good to see the progress for the third gender when Indian Supreme Court recognized the rights of the “third gender”. This proves two things – 1) Third gender exists and its not a myth and its just a matter of time before others also follow like the US, UK, etc. (2) The rights of third gender did not exist before now and when will there be rights for spouse and innocent children of a third gender marriage who are equally affected by the lack of laws. What about the rights of a spouse and innocent children of a third gender marriage? Is the lack of laws adversely affecting the individual who third gender and also the spouse and children of a third gender marriage? What if a spouse and children have given the human rights to a third gender person which the court has only done now, do the spouse and children also have human rights and who protects them? An individual can be a great parent while they may be the worst criminal – two roles, same individual. Ariel Castro, the infamous father who apparently was a great parent but had abducted and tortured innocent girls including some knew his own children. No one could believe that Ariel Castro was the same person as depicted in the news or as facts started pouring out. A life of secrecy and lies is very troubling for anyone. It is one thing to abuse an adult but to abuse an innocent child leaving them in legal limbo is whole another issue and the truth has to come out to get justice for innocent children. If a mother stays silent through the abuse, is the best solution to split her children because she failed to report the abuse? Is that creating more victims and punishing the innocent? At the end of the day, parent-child relationship is a matter of heart between two individuals and not what the law or court thinks. US laws do not recognize parents of IVF children who do not have a genetic link as parents, does that mean its true?

If one has lied about their marriage, then how can they ask for justice when they wake up? If one has lied about their child having been born naturally when in fact it is through IVF, how can one ask for justice when they wake up? If one has stayed silent about their second IVF child and when that child gets abandoned, how can one ask for rights of the innocent abandoned child? If one has stayed silent through the abuse, criminal acts, breaking the laws, then how can one expect justice when they wake up? If a rape victim or a sexual abuse victim reports the facts after years of trauma and abuse, does that mean it didn’t occur even if statute of limitations may have passed? The effects of secrecy and lying are long-term and they stay with the victim forever. No amount of apologies even from a Pope may be enough. Acceptance of facts is the FIRST thing because first there was the crime which followed by years of denial and persecution of victims. Victims of white collar crime like victims of Bernie Madoff or other fraud victims or victims of sexual abuse from clergy are same as victims of an international, intersex, immigrant, IVF fraud. There is no objection to intersex or immigrant or IVF, it happens that this triple whammy has no laws and when someone frauds innocent IVF siblings of growing up together, the facts have to be stated for two main reasons – 1) Change the laws so other immigrant, or IVF, or intersex families don’t have to use secrecy and lies and victimize innocents. (2) Two innocent IVF siblings deserve better than being punished in legal limbo for crimes they did not commit.

Lying about an intersex marriage as an heterosexual marriage is ignoring the facts, especially when intersex marriages are illegal but heterosexual marriages are not. An illegal marriage affects both spouses – intersex spouse and the non-intersex spouse. Further, other intersex people still cannot legally marry if they want to be honest. A life of dishonesty leads to other issues including adversely creating innocent victims out of others.

Calling an intersex surgery as “removal of ovaries” is ignoring the facts, especially when other intersex people have to move court to get the same surgery done while if one lies, they get away with it including the insurance fraud since insurance does not cover such surgeries.

If one were honest about an intersex surgery, it would have allowed to know that it is torture and very traumatic and as per the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, it should be stopped. However, it requires one to be honest first. There is no doubt it is torturous being a first-hand witness as a spouse caregiver of intersex, what is it for the spouse and child of an intersex marriage recovering from intersex surgery in silence?

Infertile people in the US cannot legally bring a child born outside the US without a “genetic link”, so they may “marry fraudulently with a fertile person” or steal a child or kidnap a child or abandon one IVF child in a foreign land while abducting their IVF Sibling in another country. Isn’t it better to ask for equal rights instead? Why victimize and punish innocent children? Why be an Ariel Castro?

A life of lies cannot be lived forever. A life of white collar crimes cannot be lived forever. A life of alienating innocent siblings cannot be lived forever. It is time for change but with honesty. Giving human rights to others in the privacy of your own four walls is not advisable especially when intersex people lack basic human rights like marriage rights, fertility rights, immigration rights, etc. Instead we continue our struggle to give the same human rights to all but do it so publicly because that’s how our society works. Don’t try this at home, kids! seriously or the biggest victims will be your innocent, voiceless kids.

“To brush aside America’s responsibility as a leader and — more profoundly — our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are,” Obama said. “Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different.” – US President Obama in March 2011 as the Arab Spring commenced.

The US did not legalize same-sex marriage till 2013. Been there, done that in 1999 without knowledge, does that mean no fraud occurred?

The US did not legalize immigration for same-sex spouses till 2013. Did that before 2013 without informed consent, does it make the immigration valid or was their fraud?

The US still does not legalize same-sex marriages if the marriage is not recognized where it occurred. India still does not allow same-sex marriages where an intersex marriage occurred. Does this mean that other intersex people can now legally marry?

Other countries like India, Australia, New Zealand, Germany offer a legal “third gender”, the US still does not offer this option to its citizens and forces people into a gender binary leading to other unintended consequences including lying, secrecy, fraud, breaking the laws.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture called for a STOP on intersex surgery in 2013. Did that in 2002 under severe trauma, torture in silence and abuse. Is denial of facts mean denial of justice?

The US law requires a “genetic link” between a US parent and a child born outside the US – very relevant to IVF children. Then how does an infertile US parent legally bring a child born outside the US without a genetic link?

The US law does not allow an immigrant IVF father to bring their own biological IVF child without a “mother”. Then how do immigrant single fathers, gay fathers, intersex fathers bring their IVF child born outside the US legally to the US? But if you are an immigrant mother, you can bring your biological IVF child. Cheers to single mothers and lesbians but IVF fathers have to live through their “baby scoop era”. Why this discrimination based on gender of a parent? Does the innocent child care?

To rise above the discrimination and to move forward, why are there NO laws to disclose ALL ongoing IVF pregnancies when filing for divorce so that the court can decide the best interest of the children of a marriage? Hiding behind lack of laws and lack of jurisdiction is not the answer, the right answer is to provide relief and justice to innocent, voiceless IVF children caught up in legal limbo and deliberately placed in that situation. Call it the baby Medhavi law. If there are international laws for child abduction and child adoption, why are there no international laws for international IVF/surrogacy children in the children’s best interest?

People make mistakes, we are humans. People also fraud documentation misleading courts and breaking laws and denying due process to other human beings including innocent IVF children. People also break laws for their selfish interests, it is up to the justice system to have the complete TRUTH revealed and respect the prevailing laws. Above all, the basic human dignity and respect of innocent IVF children should be upheld and provide a pathway for relief.

As per US study, 83% of males leave their spouse when encountered with a severe trauma making a young, male, spouse caregiver a minority. Less than 1% of all births in US were through IVF in 2012. Have two lovely IVF children before then – again a minority. Living as a minority within minority and worse experiencing double discrimination both for self and innocent IVF siblings. When will justice arrive?

If you need validation whether equal rights for IVF children and families are needed, we invite you to come look into the big brown eyes of a 4 year old abandoned IVF child and rediscover your mind, heart, and humanity. Do the right thing.

We need more of Susan B. Anthony, Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Dr. King, Madiba, Edie Windsor and not more of Ann Pettway or Sandy Hatte – people who fight based on truth and not based on secrecy, lies, fraud and relentless breaking the laws. Cannibalizing human rights of others especially innocent children is no way to achieve any human rights.

For ALL those who say that no crimes have been committed against an abandoned innocent IVF child, we invite you to have the courage and strength tolook a 4 year old IVF child in her big brown eyes and say the same thing. Your mind, your heart, your humanity will render you speechless and force you to do the RIGHT THING which is to stop this discrimination of IVF. Every human life is sacred including an innocent IVF child who is used as a “tool” to secure their sibling by splitting them. Having anti-IVF laws is one thing but to use them against innocent, voiceless IVF children takes it to whole different level. Even if no IVF laws were broken (since they do not exist), were human rights violated, were innocent children abused, was there endangerment of the welfare of innocent IVF children deliberately, was there malicious and deliberate intent to split innocent IVF brother and sister, was there fraud, was there perjury, was there lying, was there breaking of laws, is it a crime against the humanity of the innocent IVF children? The right answer is to never have this happen again to any innocent IVF child. People who are pedophiles or murderers or criminals may also be parents and may also be good parents but they still are criminals. IVFphiles are people who place an “order” for an IVF child and then later abandon them once born with no responsibility or accountability towards the child – is that a crime against the humanity of the innocent, voiceless IVF child? What is the justice for innocent IVF children to move forward – stay in legal limbo and grow up separated for no fault of theirs or be united and grow up together as intended? The biggest jurors are the innocent IVF children and everyone else is either a messenger or an agent of change because the biggest punishment is on the innocent IVF siblings for crimes they did not commit – look in their eyes and then decide.

Even after 60 years, sibling bonds stay strong like the unions between North and South Koreans showing that NO government can split siblings.

Regardless of time, abandoning IVF children is a crime against their humanity today and will remain so forever. Splitting innocent IVF siblings will never be the right solution, apologies like for the “baby scoop era” may follow decades later only to prove the decision to split the innocent IVF siblings for crimes they did not commit was wrong. Copernicus and Galileo had a tough time convincing people of the scientific facts over 500 years ago and they were even persecuted at first but over the years and decades their truth prevailed. The 99.99% people who opposed them all came to accept the universal truth. Its been over 1600 days since the IVF siblings have wrongfully been split and even after 16000 days, it will still be wrong.

The current situation of lack of laws for IVF children and families is like placing a staircase in front of a wheelchair bound person. We need a ramp which is to provide equal rights to IVF children and families.

In a recent US Department of State announcement, gestational mothers who carried their IVF children to term who were conceived through donor eggs and sperm will be considered “at par” with birth mothers for immigration. More importantly, their IVF children will be given equal rights. When will there be equal rights for immigrant IVF fathers and his IVF children?

Allowing a person to live freely and truthfully is the single-biggest human right regardless of the era and discrimination in different forms has always been around only to be defeated.

In the 1800s, if you were black in the US and did not want to be a slave OR

if you did not want to become a Sati in India OR

in 1900s during the women suffrage movement, women wanted equal pay for equal work (a struggle ongoing even after a hundred years) OR

the various colonies wanting freedom from their imperialists OR

the Jews wanting freedom from the atrocities of Holocaust OR

the civil rights movement in the US simply wanting equal treatment based on who they are and not based on color of the skin OR

the single mothers whose biological children were forcefully taken away from them during the baby scoop era only because “singlehood” was not socially acceptable OR

the apartheid movement in South Africa OR

the gay rights movement in 2000s.

There has ALWAYS been DISCRIMINATION of sorts and as a humanity we solve one thing at a time often too slowly for some innocent victims with no relief or justice.

While we are struggling as human beings to move forward towards equality for all, cannibalizing others human rights especially innocent children is NO way to achieve one’s own human rights. If it is a crime to discriminate based on race, familial status, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability, then why is it NOT a crime to discriminate based on birth type – natural born Vs. IVF born?

The first step to ANY discrimination is acceptance. However as human psychology unfolds, it sometimes takes years, decades, centuries before enough humans ACCEPT the discrimination. Till then there is DENIAL, DENIAL, DENIAL and various logical and legal arguments presented to justify the discrimination. In the end truth prevails! Its 2014, and what is the state of the union for IVF discrimination?

In India and several other countries, Eunuchs have been a celebrity. In today’s world, Eunuchs bless people to have a child since they cannot. Its the philosophy of good karma…do good to others even if nature was not as nice. Regardless, an Eunuch is infertile and sadly cannot have a child. So instead of blessing you with a child, what if you bless an Eunuch with a child? There are also not so many nice things that happen to Eunuchs today in a post-British India. Eunuchs were a somewhat of a celebrity and were part of a powerful inner circle in a pre-British India.

Today, Eunuchs have minimal human rights. They cannot legally marry. They cannot legally adopt or have a child any other way since they are infertile. What does an Eunuch do to have a child at any and all costs? And how did the plights of Eunuchs get this way? India traditionally has been a collection of princely kingdoms or monarchies. “Heir” is very important and having a child is very important. The knowledge to run societies acquired over years, decades, centuries, millenia in India, it is believed that a person may be the most righteous and loyal except when it comes to his/her children. Then even the strongest become frail. Since Eunuchs are infertile, kings and queens see loyalty in them as they have no children to be disloyal/corrupt for. For decades, centuries, Eunuchs were the de facto loyal and royal servant in the king and queen private chamber. The king also felt comfortable in having a Eunuch as a companion for his wife, the queen so that there are no chances of cheating. Some families who were very poor with no ray of hope forcibly castrated one of their sons and turned him into an Eunuch just so that he could get a job in the royal palace and thereby uplifting the economic status of their family. With access to the royal chambers and some of the most private moments of kings or queens, Eunuch commanded a lot of power by having the ruler’s ear. Then how did this group of people who were living in the best of places get shunted to being homeless? They went from being everywhere in power to no basic human rights?

Today, Eunuchs in India will Bless people so that they are blessed with a child. What if you try to share a child to an Eunuch, does the child have human rights, does the fertile spouse who shares a child have rights? Secrecy, lies, fraud don’t help anyone, not an individual nor a government. The pre-British Indian way of handling Eunuchs was far better. Its natural, they exist, they cannot bear a child, you live happily anyway. More importantly, you do not pass laws to make their existence illegal or ostracize them, you include them in your economy and allow them to live honestly. Perhaps innocent lives can be saved too that way? Parents of Eunuchs have to lie today Vs. parents back then forcibly castrated their sons to make them an Eunuch. Innocent siblings are split today Vs Eunuchs formed a sisterhood or brotherhood and at least felt the love of a fellow human being that way closer to them.

Whatever we say about India, Eunuchs exist, they have an identity, they are recognized as the third gender which is being truthful and society has carved out a special role for them to play. Allowing a person to live honestly and truthfully is the single biggest human right. The weight of secrecy, lies, fraud eventually catches up.

When the British came to India and started passing laws, they brought with them British laws. In 1860, the British passed a law in India which made it illegal to have “unnatural sex” which banned gays, lesbians, and Eunuchs from having sex. The respect and recognition given to Eunuchs for years, decades, centuries, millenia in the pre-British Indian culture had been taken away and forced a British version. This part of the law is known as Section 377 in the Indian constitution and in 2014 the Indian Supreme Court upheld it saying changing laws is job of the Parliament. That does not mean they agree or disagree with Section 377. However lot of people made a lot of hype about how backward this was without knowing that it was the British who gave this law to India. Indians have always been welcoming of the truth and integrating people of all walks into the fabric of society. Wonder what a Britisher had to say about the ruling of Section 377 in 2014?

If Section 377 was not enough, in 1871, the British introduced another law, the Criminal Tribes Act where a person of certain tribes in India had to submit to local police surveillance with no warrant, search and seizure with no warrant, etc. In 1897, the act was amended with the title itself, “An Act for the Registration of Criminal Tribes and Eunuchs”. Here if you were an Eunuch, you had to register yourself to the police. The title of the Act itself is offensive and discriminatory in 2014 but in 1897 it was not. Using a combination of these two acts, Section 377 from 1861 and the Criminal Tribes Act of 1897, the Eunuchs were systematically ostracized and forced to live farther away from the community at large at the outskirts or outside a city. Perhaps this is where the current state of Eunuchs in India can best be understood. Compared to the pre-British era, eunuchs in India in 2014 have very few human rights. They largely make a living by singing, dancing, begging, some are sadly sex workers. Overall their economic status is very bad – a far cry from from the royal palaces just a few centuries ago.

In a recent policy decision, the US DOJ announced equal benefits for same-sex spouses and extending benefits provided the marriage occurred in a state where the marriage was done legally. This is good news for human rights and a welcome message for the 21st century. The question is are human rights a one-way street? Can someone achieve human rights by cannibalizing the rights of others? What if someone who habitually lies, frauds and other criminal acts including violence and abuse of innocent children? Just like murderers and criminals can be of any race, religion, caste, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, they are first a criminal; someone who breaks laws.

The policy decision in 2014 proves that these rights were not extended before. Does that mean if someone lied, cheated and frauded someone before 2014 broke the laws? Is intersex marriage a same-sex marriage or heterosexual marriage? More importantly, is it legal marriage and were laws followed where performed? Was there deliberate and intentional fraud and violation of laws? If intersex people are women then why do they have a legally recognized “third gender”? Let there be no doubt, there should be equal rights for intersex people but do spouses and IVF children of an illegal intersex marriage have rights? Do they exist legally or are their human rights being cannibalized? Are there false allegations and a thousand lies to hide a lie? Do intersex spouses have rights to the special medical needs of an intersex spouse or are they mere sacrificial lambs and guinea pigs? In the best interest of an intersex marriage and equal rights of the spouse and children of an illegal intersex marriage, should a medical professional lie on a medical record or say the truth?

If a child was born during the illegal intersex marriage, does the innocent child deserve basic human rights, dignity and respect?

Since now same-sex spouse rights exist, will it also include rights to domestic abuse and violence? Does this mean if a spouse in an illegal intersex marriage is a victim of domestic violence and abuse can now report it and be afforded equal rights? Or are there only one- way rights for the intersex person?

If a spouse in an illegal intersex marriage afforded rights to an intersex person where laws itself fall short, what are the safeguards and protections afforded for their human rights? Since the laws did not exist, does that mean the abuse and laws did not occur? Are human rights a one-way street or does every human being deserve equal rights?

Intersex is an umbrella term for certain medical conditions and some consider themselves male, some female and some want a “third gender”. A person has every right to feel what they do as long as it is not abusing and/or hurting anyone else.

A spouse of intersex has experienced the very same events as the intersex person and if there is trauma for intersex person, is there any trauma for spouse who experienced the same event with secrecy, lies, misinformation?

The beauty of following science is it relies on facts – something both the medical and legal worlds are based on. While experiencing the intersex surgery and the after-effects of the same and the medical mistreatment, common sense tells you it’s wrong and unnecessary. But how dare a non-medical youngster challenge a triple MD and a decades old malpractice? Finally in 2013, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture proved the gut feeling by calling for a STOP to such intersex surgeries. Maybe innocent IVF children can have an opportunity to grow up together had this come a decade ago.

A medical record is the language of communication between doctors and should always be based on science and facts. If a doctor does intersex surgery and claims “removal of ovaries” when in fact it was “removal of testes”, it sets of an inadvertent chain reaction. First you just taught the patient and family to lie and the system will institutionally support the lies. Next when the patient goes to fertility specialist to have a child, the medical decision is based on erroneous facts. Next when the patient goes to a lactation consultant to breastfeed an infant, the subject matter expert gives medical advise based on erroneous facts. Next when the patient goes to a pediatrician to breastfeed an infant, the doctor gives medical advise again based on erroneous facts and placing an innocent child, her patient, at risk and is abused. More importantly, the infant gets no milk and is abused despite access to best subject matter experts.

There is no issue in intersex people feeling male or female or third gender. But instead of forcing that philosophy on innocent children in silence, first get the medical literature changed and also get the laws changed to allow legal marriage, immigration and fertility rights for infertile people. Why abuse innocent children for all this? Intersex is rare. Caster Semenaya was given an Olympic medal first in the women category, then rescinded, then reinstated as a woman. This affects her physically. The message affects several other intersex people globally. However is it different when medical decisions are taken similarly that affects both the patient AND others physically including innocent children? Do others have rights too? Or do they deserve to be abused simply because they were forced into silence?

Follow the Science :
1) Not all intersex people have the surgery done. Of those intersex people who have surgery done, most have it performed either as a child or in puberty. Very trace amounts are done after 21. Almost none are done during a relationship or marriage. Is there a scientific study to understand the effects of intersex surgery during marriage?

2) Intersex people who are genetically male may be able to breastfeed. Adoptive mothers who are genetically female have been able to breastfeed. However, not all have had success with lactation due to different reasons. Biological mothers who also take hormones to breastfeed are not always successful. It’s traumatic but a scientific fact. Is it an apples and apples comparison from a scientific standpoint? Is there a scientific study on breastfeeding by intersex genetic males or are we using innocent infants as guinea pigs and abusing them? Would you give your infant for this study?

3) An intersex person who has the surgery done needs to go on hormonal therapy and take estrogens. Lactation comes from a separate hormone, prolactin. Is there a scientific study on the effects of taking both hormones simultaneously? Are they competing? More importantly, if the medical records are fraud and subject matter experts are also frauded as a result, is the innocent infant at risk? Is the child being abused and forced to breastfeed and incessantly cry when there is NO milk?

People who want to live honestly and follow the laws have a problem including honest intersex people. Like asking the court to allow male to female surgery or have it covered by insurance. Liars, criminals who break laws do not have this problem. For them secrecy, lies, cheating, fraud worked and the system helped and they didn’t get abused, others are being abused including innocent children, where is the problem?

Most people may not understand this statement at first, some may claim it as offensive because it does not fit their purpose, and some may get the gist the article is attempting to make. Living a life in adversity and discrimination takes its toll. Surviving and coming out of it and living to tell the truth is a blessing in itself. The primary purpose to share the truth is to help the NEXT in social justice. Secrecy and stigma are the real culprits which creates both ignorance and lack of awareness and the continued lack of laws which victimizes innocents including children. Throughout history of humankind, social justice issues at first are not welcomed with open arms, faced stiff opposition, needless victims, state derived persecution, defamation, false criminal charges, secrecy, lies, conspiracies, etc. only to finally succumb to eventuality of TRUTH. And that’s where the journey of IVF children and families is today in 2014 – ugly truth that no one wants to address. Needless child victims are created held in purgatory of legal limbo and along with them are their IVF parents who may have suffered and struggled for years in silence before being blessed with an IVF child. Is the state of inaction a message to instead abandon IVF children instead of fighting for their basic human rights if not equal rights? The extended purgatory in legal limbo places innocent IVF children and families “neither here, nor there“.

For those who question the legitimacy of an immigrant Eunuch having legal custody of an immigrant IVF child in the US in 2009 – here is a simple question – Could this have been accomplished without abandoning an IVF child – a sibling in India and thus leaving no legal defense or chance to present the facts for the biological IVF parent to get due process? More importantly, can another immigrant Eunuch repeat this based on prevailing laws? The right answer is to pass laws. Even more importantly, has due process and justice been served to the innocent, voiceless IVF brother and sister? Can we “de-couple” the lack of rights of the immigrant IVF father from the “rights of IVF children”? The abuse suffered by the spouse and the innocent IVF child and the crimes to break the laws went unreported the first time, why should it be unreported again?

For those who question the love of the biological parent – a father of his IVF children can go through the site and understand that it is lack of basic human respect and dignity of his IVF children which is the center here. A parent’s love comes in various ways but to have a parent’s gender used as a tool to discriminate against children is dispeccable. It is one thing to have anti-gay laws, anti-IVF laws, anti-intersex laws but to actually use them to split innocent brother and sister is heinous. Just like being a spouse caregiver of an Eunuch and then again an immigrant IVF parent showed patience and resilience, that is the correct path – a path to become the change one wants to see in this world. Don’t judge before comprehending or listening. We have all they sympathy for Eunuchs, where is the sympathy for Eunuch families – spouses and children? Or are they LESS of a human being…? There is a learning and a teaching opportunity and an opportunity to allow the love of siblings to grow and prosper – which one we take? A parent’s love is endless (who happens to be a father) and it is the love for the children which is why he managed to stay alive – the abuse, the torture, the secrecy, the lies would have killed a person a long time ago.

It is difficult to make sense of what to feel worse about – a decade of secrecy, lies, crimes, abuse, torture OR one’s gender being used to discriminate against innocent children? If the love of a father is somehow less than that of a mother who neither gave birth nor has any biological connection to the child, how does one explain the love of a single father, the love of gay fathers or love of a father who is both caring for a spouse and a child? If you are a parent, you would want the best for your child regardless and that’s what this is about – no more secrecy, no more lies, no more crimes, just the truth.

IVF Children and Family – Neither Here, Nor There

A US citizen IVF father is living in India because his IVF daughter – the sibling his IVF son wanted cannot travel outside India – neither here, nor there.

International Adoption laws allow for subsidiarity where biological siblings are allowed to grow up together, immigration laws require a “biological link” between children and parent, but land of no laws exists for IVF brother and sister forced to grow up separately – neither here, nor there.

“Neither here, nor there” has been used before. In India and several other Asian countries, the “third gender” or legally defined as Eunuch has existed for a long time. Western countries are waking up to the “natural reality” and also passing similar laws recognizing the “third gender” and moving away from “binary gender” legal definitions like Australia, New Zealand, and Germany. It is ironic that western media reports that Germany is the “first country in the world in 2013” to recognize the third gender legally. Are the rest of 4 billion people living outside North America and Europe not part of the “world”? More importantly, it is this ignorance and lack of awareness which creates the “neither here, nor there” syndrome universally for everyone in the world who legally defines them as Eunuch. Being a Eunuch in itself is traumatic but also is accompanied by other real-life situations like infertility. And if laws require a “biological link” for immigration of IVF children, how will Eunuchs ever get legal custody of children? Similarly, the lack of awareness and ignorance about IVF and the real life situations it creates for IVF children and families is placing IVF children in legal limbo (even if inadvertently) in a case of “neither here, nor there“.

Secrecy and Stigma are the biggest culprits for Neither Here, Nor There

For an immigrant, Eunuch, IVF family in 2000s, the lack of laws, lack of human rights, lack of basic human decency and respect is DOUBLED – once as a Eunuch family forced to live in secrecy and lies and second as an IVF family again forced to live in secrecy and lies and ultimately punishing the most innocent of the innocent – the innocent, voiceless IVF children in legal limbo. It is tiring to live “neither here, nor there”. People who are Eunuchs are born this way naturally, others are made this way – living neither here, nor there. Is a spouse of Eunuch having the effects of neither here, nor there? Are children of an Eunuch marriage having the effects of neither here, nor there? The important point here is the need for laws so every human being can have an equal right to live freely. Some are born Eunuchs, some are living the effects of Eunuchs, how?

A Eunuch may be living in secrecy and lies with stigma. When a spouse marries an Eunuch, are they also forced to live in secrecy and stigma knowingly or unknowingly? What are the effects of living in secrecy and lies on any human being? The loss of freedom is disrecpectful to any human being regardless of being a Eunuch or not.

A Eunuch may need surgery to identify themselves better. What if the surgery is performed during the marriage without proper support or information? It is traumatic for an Eunuch to have to undergo this, what is it like to go through this as a spouse of an Eunuch with no support and in silence? Did the experience occur or should the spouse continue to lie and live in secrecy like Eunuchs have and how will this exactly help anyone?

A Eunuch is infertile. A spouse of a Eunuch does not leave the marriage, has children through IVF, continues the lies and secrecy while raising the IVF child, the laws are broken because Eunuchs have lived in secrecy and lies. Infertility is very traumatic, the roller coaster ride experiences are unique to each person going through it, do these experiences affect ONLY the infertile person or does it affect BOTH spouses in an infertile marriage? Should the fertile spouse have left the Eunuch marriage instead?

IVF is a great medical technology that affords infertile or dysfertile people with children. Sadly, the laws have not caught up with technology placing some IVF children in legal limbo. Now the innocent, voiceless IVF children of an Eunuch marriage also have to be subjected to the legal limbo of neither here, nor there.

Being a spouse caregiver of Eunuch and an immigrant IVF parent in 2000s is not friendly, nor legal. But it has happened, now what? Do we continue the adversity, punish the innocent IVF siblings of an Eunuch marriage gone bad, continue to live in secrecy and lies or say the truth in hopes of NOT repeating the cycles of secrecy and lies?

It is one thing to have anti-IVF laws, anti-gay laws, anti-intersex laws but to use them to split innocent IVF brother and sister and place them in legal limbo is a heinous crime against the children. As a parent, an adult would go through anything for a child including abuse but to have the same abuse repeated on your children, will you stand by quietly or will you speak up for their rights? Every human being deserves a child but the reproductive rights and laws are discriminatory, is that an individual’s issue or the government? Every child deserves equal rights including IVF children but the laws are discriminatory, is that an IVF parent’s issue or the government’s issue to resolve? As a binational immigrant, intersex, IVF family – is that our issue or the lack of laws issues is for the governments? As a young, male, spouse caregiver of Eunuch and being a binational, immigrant IVF father, is it wrong to deal with trauma after trauma after trauma after trauma (domino effects) in dealing with the issues (lack of laws) of a Eunuch family? We start our journey in India because that’s where it all began – marriage to an Eunuch, IVF children born in India to Eunuch marriage and the lies of a Eunuch resulting in making everyone else in the family effectively living neither here nor there. Thanks to the love and support of the family that we are still alive and have an opportunity to speak the truth. We seek inspiration from people like Rosa Parks, Susan Anthony, Edie Windsor, Tony Briffa, Jaclyn Schultz (Miss Michigan 2013), Nina Davuluri (Miss America 2013) who have the strength and courage to speak the truth and allow people to accept who they are and not use a continuing web of secrecy and lies which violates rights of other people. If an Eunuch deserves compassion, does an innocent IVF child deserve compassion?

India has long recognized Eunuchs legally, the third gender. Other countries like Nepal, Australia, New Zealand and several other Asian countries do so also. Germany, the first “western” country started offering the third gender. Non-conforming to the binary gender provides an opportunity for people to be HONEST and not be forced to lie whether they are male or female. This provides an opportunity to address real concerns of an Eunuch family – like being able to have children legally.

We have the first IVF child born in a Eunuch family in India and quite possibly the world – instead of celebrating, we are living in secrecy and lies.

We have the first IVF sibling in a Eunuch family – instead of celebrating and providing the love of a sibling to an IVF brother, we are living in secrecy and lies.

Given the prevailing laws, could an Eunuch have gained custody of an international IVF child without violating any laws? Could this have been achieved without abandoning another IVF sibling and denying them the due process? Is it a crime against humanity from the child’s perspective? Did the donor and surrogate agree to share their humanity only for the IVF child to be abandoned and to be given up to an orphanage?

When an IVF journey results in a successful IVF child, it is a time to celebrate and announce the birth of a child and not a time to be forced into secrecy and lies to convenience someone so that they can break the laws.

By not stating the facts that a child is IVF, we are disrespecting the best of humanity – compassionate women like the donors and surrogates. We are also teaching innocent children to lie for personal benefit. Secrecy, lies, fraud is not a world a parent wants for their child. Instead we should be celebrating the donors and surrogates and the selfless humanity they have exhibited resulting in two wonderful IVF children for this family.

If only mothers are allowed to be parents, how do we explain gay parents and single fathers who equally love their children? If we can celebrate gay parenting and single fatherhood, why can’t we celebrate IVF fatherhood based on merits and facts?

It is one thing to lie to the court about the facts to gain custody of a child by an infertile person but does that change the facts? The DNA tests will still fail, the truth will be exposed and the lies will not stand the test of time and placing innocent children at risk of legal limbo.

An unemotional male as stereotyped cannot go through something like this. We can agree that different lobbies will try to malign, defame, falsely accuse, etc a binational, immigrant IVF father AND a young, male, spouse care giver of Eunuch for their political and social agendas. However, it would be impossible for an unemotional, inhumane person to actually live through this and survive to talk about it. It is about the IVF children and their rights to equality – a wish of any parent for their child to have a better world than theirs.

Mothers deserve all the love and praise, they sacrifice a lot for their child, they are at every beck and call of the child, for this they have to be physically available, mentally be available, emotionally be available. A person who is in depression and severe trauma on medications and under medical treatment is not a candidate for this. Instead of lying about the facts, we should be saying the truth so that NO other child has to undergo the abuse again. For the record, we did stay silent and above all took care of the innocent child as a primary care provider during these times, however we were punished for our silence and societal stereotypes were used to split the innocent child from his family and his primary care provider.

Medical conditions are nothing new, it is about how we handle them. We look to Angelina Jolie and Amy Robach for inspiration on dealing with life changing medical events with truth, strength and love of family and friends. Due to their celebrity and public persona they can help if only one person. What good would it do by living in secrecy and lies? Why miss a learning opportunity due to secrecy and lies? Hiding the trauma and abuse of a recovering Eunuch patient may place future innocent children and spouses at risk. The right answer is to accept the facts, wait for Eunuchs to stabilize as they undergo medical treatment and then have a child. We look forward to a world when we can discuss the issues of Eunuch surgery and its effects same as breast cancer without any secrecy, stigma and arrive at real solutions. Secrecy and lies are not the way to handle any traumatic situations.

Eunuchs cannot legally marry, Eunuchs cannot legally immigrate with children, Eunuchs cannot legally immigrate based on marriage. Instead of celebrating someone who has managed to achieve all this apparently without breaking any laws, we are forced into secrecy and lies. How will this help other Eunuchs and their families or are they also forced to lie and break the laws?

There are lots of positives to be learned from a young, male, spouse caregiver of intersex AND a binational immigrant IVF father – instead we have to force him into secrecy and lies and defamation and false allegations. Why can’t we celebrate the values of “till death do us apart”? Instead of celebrating the fact that a person was presented with the fact he was married to an Eunuch, the spouse did not leave, went through an unprecedented Eunuch surgery, the spouse did not leave, infertility exists in an Eunuch marriage, the spouse did not leave, the male spouse became the primary care provider for his son due to the ongoing medical treatment and resulting physical and mental unavailability of the other spouse, both agreed to a second IVF child only to abandon the IVF child when born, the spouse, the biological parent did not leave the second IVF child. It is very traumatic for the Eunuch but is the trauma any less for the spouse. Thanks to the love and support of the family, miraculously the spouse is alive. Which one of the values that he exhibited are unworthy of sharing with children? Is it wrong to show love and compassion? Is it wrong to help another human being? Is it wrong to expect truth? Is it wrong to expect basic human decency and respect for your children if not equal?

The right answer is to change the laws. As you read this today or read it a 100 hundred years from now – the young, male spouse caregiver of Eunuch and a binational, immigrant IVF father had his heart in the right place and always had the bigger picture in mind – every human counts. What cannot count is the secrecy, lies, fraud, abuse, torture which are human-made. An IVF father, a parent only wishes to tell his children that do not break anyone’s heart even though someone breaks your heart. I will teach you strength and courage to help yourself and ALSO help the person who broke your heart – the same thing my parents taught me. Equal rights for IVF children and families, equal caregiver rights are themes relevant today and will remain relevant till equal rights are granted – whether today or a 100 years from now.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and so is love. Secrecy and lying cannot go in tandem with love. What is on the inside is what counts, not the outside beauty. When one sees a 9 year old IVF son on Skype forlorn, lonely and confused with his realities and when one sees a 4 year old IVF sister who cannot get a legal identity, it begs the question, who/what/where/when is INFERTILITY all about? Is infertility about adults OR do IVF children who are a product of infertility also count?

Our objective is to get to a place where there are equal rights for IVF children and families and there is respect for basic human decency if not equal and stop the discrimination. For this the truth has to be told so that change can happen. Denial of facts is a crime to the victims.

The fact is we have an intersex family who are immigrants to the US and also have children through IVF in the 2000s. Neither there are equal laws for intersex nor for immigrant IVF families, so does that mean we should punish innocent IVF children by placing them in legal limbo? We will accept that intersex is very traumatic, we will accept that intersex surgery is very traumatic, we will accept that an intersex person deserves all the compassion as they are going through an emotional, mental, physical, physiological, spiritual change – every change imaginable for a human. It is truly very traumatic – we were there, is there any trauma and abuse to be forced to go through this alone and in silence? Maybe someday intersex surgeries will be treated on par as other medical conditions like breast cancer or ovarian cancer or prostate cancer or testicular cancer or Alzheimers and so on so that caregivers are allowed to seek support without offending the patients. Living in secrecy and lying including breaking the laws is not the answer and especially not the answer when it is used against innocent children. We cannot accept that the child is NOT born through IVF because it would be lying and it would take away the humanity of several people including compassionate donors and surrogates. We cannot accept that the intersex person recovering from the medical treatment was the primary care provider of an innocent IVF child because it would continue to hide the facts, the abuse, the torture and take away the fact that a deep bond was formed between the father and son because he was the primary care provider.

If the intersex person wants to continue to lie and claim the child is NOT born through IVF whom they have no biological link with as an immigrant, that’s their choice because legally it benefits them. How does it benefit the innocent IVF child? Why can’t he live freely? Why can’t he meet his sister? Why can’t he grow up with his primary care provider? Why does an innocent IVF girl child have to be abandoned and lose her legal identity because an adult who is infertile wants to LIE and break the laws? It is one thing to abuse, torture, force silence, secrecy on an adult but it is totally different to repeat the lies, secrecy, abuse, breaking the laws against innocent children.

Now that Germany has legally started recognizing intersex as “third gender”, there will be more awareness of the real-life issues that intersex families face. First of course we will need to legalize intersex marriage so that there are legal intersex families. If a woman was married to an intersex person, had an IVF child using her own egg, donor sperm and a surrogate, and then raised the IVF child as the primary care provider, would the LAW take away that child from her when the intersex person files divorce? The fact is we have male, female, and intersex as Germany as recognized. Then why lie? To be clear the issue is not intersex people cannot be loving parents, the issue is LYING. When a person is undergoing medical treatment in secrecy, can they use that against the parent and child to separate them?

As time elapses, the medical treatment stabilizes and the same physical intersex person may be a very different person a few years later. But did it come at a cost? Is the cost equal to a son being taken away from his primary care provider? Is the cost equal to abandoning an innocent IVF girl child? Is the cost equal to splitting two IVF siblings? It is not that biological parents love their children more than non-biological parents but the reverse should fertile parents be forced to give up their child to an infertile parent? Every human has a right to have a child and so does every child have the right to be treated equally. When IVF children are placed in legal limbo due to selfishness and personal benefit of an adult – fertile or otherwise, intersex, male, female or otherwise, straight or gay, it is a CRIME for the child. There is NO love in that. There is no beauty in that.

Its a challenge to anyone to come look in my innocent children’s eyes and say their being SPLIT UP is LOVE. And if you are a parent and if this does not raise your hair, what will? Thankfully you may be fertile and have never had to go through infertility or IVF, but what if you did cross those roller-coasters and then what if your IVF child was placed in legal limbo? What would you do as a parent, as a human being?

The reason an IVF brother cannot see his IVF sister or his biological family is because he is born through IVF to an immigrant, IVF father in 2000s – too early for our times. If he is happy growing up away from his biological family without his knowledge, could he have been HAPPIER growing up freely with his siblings, family, truth, having a valid legal identity? When love is enveloped with secrecy, lies, fraud, abuse, breaking laws, criminal acts, is it love? It is not ONLY about the infertile and affluent adult but also about donors, surrogates and IVF children. Pass laws and not separate children from biological family like the baby scoop era. We miss our child on missing out :

0) Our son cannot fulfill his dream of having a sibling – journey that took 3 years, several failed IVF attempts, and 4 more unjust years and counting…

1) Our son cannot kiss or hug his sister and a sister cannot kiss or hug her brother. It is about the love.

2) Our son cannot marvel first hand at how infants are so small and how they grow up. It is about the love.

3) Our son cannot play house, or kitchen, or bath time with his sister and enjoy the awesome play juice and play snacks she makes. Siblings will fight with each other but when a third person enters, they become a team of one – typical siblings – our son misses out. It is about the love.

4) Our son cannot celebrate in sibling events like Rakhi, Bhai Duj, Siblings Day and so on. It is about the love.

5) Our son is being brainwashed and alienated from his biological family. It is about the love.

6) Our son cannot read books, ride the bike, fly kites, and so on with his siblings. It is about the love.

It is one thing to have anti-gay laws, anti-IVF laws, anti-intersex laws, anti-immigrant laws, but to use them in order to SPLIT innocent IVF siblings takes it to whole another level – certainly not the best interest of the child. And if a person did not care about the human rights of an intersex, immigrant, infertile person, would they have international IVF children as an immigrant and spouse caregiver of intersex? It is time to move on and start thinking about the future generations of IVF children and families…An IVF parent is very resilient, persistent and determined – its in their IVF DNA.

7) Our son does not have a valid legal identity to travel and so much education, exposure to his growth and development is stunted. Is it love?

8) Our son has to be lied to about his birth and the fact it is through IVF which dishonors the very basic fundamentals of humanity and compassion of people like the donor and the surrogate. Will he learn to be compassionate? Will he learn to speak the truth? Is it love?

9) When equal rights do not exist, one should not break the laws but respect the laws and demand for a change in laws. By forcing secrecy, lies, abuse, defamation, breaking the laws and forcing anyone to speak the truth to bring change is no way to teach an innocent child. Is it love?

10) Every human being deserves a child but it needs to be done ethically, morally, and legally because no matter how good a parent you are now, one has to face their IVF child eventually with facts and love. There is no love in secrecy, lies, and breaking the laws – it is criminal. There is no love in abandoning an IVF child during pregnancy, it is criminal. There is no love in continuing to place innocent IVF children in legal limbo for personal benefit and call it love – its selfishness which is a crime as per Judge Castel.

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SEPARATOMETER

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To Whom It May Concern

I add my voice to those supporting the right to uniting the innocent siblings before their childhood is over. I support equal IVF family rights and equal caregiver rights. I pledge to encourage all communities to share the truth with humility, civility, and dignity.